With his most beloved daughter pleading for Lei Cong, Shen Minghui's anger slowly subsided. He glanced at Su Yuting, not wanting to antagonize Lei Taiwei any further. As long as Su Yuting agreed, he wouldn't punish Lei Cong too severely.
Shen Lixue frowned. Both Lei Shi and Shen Yingxue wanted to downplay the matter, but unfortunately, her wishes were exactly the opposite: "Father, Madam and Sister Yingxue are right. It's not advisable to make a big fuss. Besides, Young Master Lei is the eldest grandson of the Grand Commandant's family, Grand Commandant Lei's most beloved grandson. You should think twice before punishing him..."
Shen Lixue's words struck a nerve with Shen Minghui, reigniting his simmering anger. His sharp eyes darkened horribly. "Grand Commandant Lei, Grand Commandant Lei, why are you all reminding me not to offend Grand Commandant Lei? I am the Prime Minister of Qingyan, how could I be afraid of him?" he thought. "Guards, drag Lei Cong away and beat him severely!"
"Master..." Lei glared at Shen Lixue and tried to comfort Shen Minghui.
"Shut up!" Shen Minghui roared, his face horribly gloomy. "This is the Prime Minister's residence, not the Grand Commandant's residence. Lei Cong has been spoiled by you all. Not only does he act recklessly with blatant arrogance, but he has also turned my residence into a mess. Does he even respect me as the master of the house?"
"And you too." Shen Minghui glared fiercely at Lei Shi, his eyes blazing with anger. "You are now the mistress of the Prime Minister's residence, no longer the legitimate daughter of the Grand Commandant's household. Even if you want to side with your maternal family, you should at least have some sense of propriety..."
Lei's lips moved, but she said nothing. She knew something about the conflict between Grand Commandant Lei and Shen Minghui, but she didn't expect it to be so serious as to be irreconcilable...
"Shen Minghui...you actually dared to hit me...owoooooo..." Lei Cong, filled with shock, howled and struggled incessantly, was escorted outside the courtyard by the guards. The heavy sound of the board hitting him rang out, particularly loud amidst Lei Cong's screams.
Shen Lixue's cold gaze swept over Shen Minghui, Lei Shi, Shen Yingxue, Shen Caiyun, who was trembling slightly, and Su Yuting, who was somewhat disheveled. But Su Yuting, who was calm and composed, smiled faintly and stood quietly in the courtyard, listening to the dull sound of the wooden board.
After an unknown amount of time, the fifty strokes of the cane were finished. Lei Cong was already delirious, groaning in pain. Madam Lei rushed forward and ordered, "Quickly carry the young master to the guest room, fetch the family physician, and get medicine for his injuries..."
Shen Yingxue glared at Shen Lixue resentfully, then hurried after her. Su Yuting's clothes were disheveled and her hair was messy, so she could not stay any longer. She said goodbye and left the bamboo garden. Shen Minghui and Shen Caiyun also left.
Finally, it was quiet. Shen Lixue slowly walked towards the inner room, a slight smile playing on her lips. The news of Su Yuting being humiliated by Lei Cong would be known to everyone by tomorrow at the latest. Shen Minghui and Grand Commandant Lei would become even more estranged, and Grand Commandant Lei would also have offended Duke Wen without even realizing it. From now on, Grand Commandant Lei's career in the officialdom would not be so smooth sailing...
On the soft, carved bed, Dongfang Heng lay with his eyes closed, breathing evenly, seemingly fast asleep, his handsome face slightly flushed.
What's wrong? Is he running a fever?
Shen Lixue's fair and delicate hand gently touched Dongfang Heng's forehead, but her wrist was suddenly tightened. Caught off guard, Shen Lixue was pulled onto the bed.
Her back touched the soft brocade quilt, her waist was tightly held, and her face brushed against the man's firm chest. The burning heat seeped into her skin through his clothes, and Shen Lixue was startled. Why was he so hot? Suddenly, she looked up and saw Dongfang Heng's obsidian-like eyes were inches away from hers...
---Aside---
I'll be updating around 2 PM tomorrow. Just between you and me, it'll be a 10,000-word update! You can all come and read the story earlier!
057 The interior is warm and inviting.
Dongfang Heng's handsome face, contrary to his usual indifference and coldness, revealed a masculine elegance and devilish charm. His eyes, as calm as an ancient well, were like a deep pool, growing deeper and deeper, as if they could suck people in. The deep tenderness hidden in his eyes was dazzling.
A faint scent of pine resin lingered around her nose, and the hot breath sprayed onto her small face. Shen Lixue suddenly woke up. In the instant she looked up, Dongfang Heng's handsome face was right in front of her, and his thin, willow-leaf-shaped lips gently pressed against her forehead.
A moist touch came from her forehead, and a shadow fell over her. It was Dongfang Heng's burning body pressed tightly against her. Shen Lixue was startled and pushed him away forcefully: "Dongfang Heng!" Was he running a fever, or...?
Shen Lixue had no internal energy, and her struggles not only failed to move Dongfang Heng in the slightest, but also caused his arms to tighten, making her waist ache from the grip. Shen Lixue could hardly breathe, and she kept turning her head to dodge, but Dongfang Heng's burning lips landed accurately on her eyebrows and cheeks: "Dongfang Heng, get up quickly!"
Ignoring Shen Lixue's reprimand, Dongfang Heng closed his eyes and held her tightly in his arms. Her cool and soft body calmed the surging blood in his chest and dispelled the blockage. He felt completely comfortable and subconsciously hugged Shen Lixue's slender body even tighter.
"Hello... Cool...!" A magnetic male voice escaped from Dongfang Heng's mouth, the intermittent words indicating that he was not in his right mind.
Shen Lixue was taken aback and looked up at Dongfang Heng. Now that he had calmed down, he didn't do anything excessive except for holding her tightly, pressing his handsome face against hers, and pressing his body against hers.
She frowned slightly: Could it be that he was hugging her tightly to cool her down?
Does the body temperature rise after the onset of illness? But when I saw him in the wooden house, he didn't have this symptom. Or is it that the medicine he drank contained antipyretic ingredients, and he didn't drink the medicine just now, which is why he's like this? Why hasn't the guard who brewed the medicine come yet?
She didn't know what was going on with Dongfang Heng's actions and was very worried. She pulled her small hand out of Dongfang Heng's embrace and quietly went to get the silver needle pack on the bedside table. Before taking the medicine, his condition was very unstable and he might do something excessive at any time. She didn't know how to use acupuncture, so just in case, she had to use silver needles to prick his acupoints to make him fall asleep and prevent anything that shouldn't happen from happening.
Her middle finger reached for the small table, and she was about to grab the silver needle pouch when Dongfang Heng suddenly rolled over in her arms, her soft body lying on the bed, and her little hand instantly moved away from the silver needle pouch.
"Dongfang Heng!" Shen Lixue gritted her teeth, glaring angrily at Dongfang Heng, who seemed oblivious, his eyes half-closed as he slept soundly.
Shen Lixue clenched her fist and punched Dongfang Heng hard on the shoulder, but Dongfang Heng felt nothing and continued to hold her tightly as they slept.
Shen Lixue slammed the fist more than ten times, but Dongfang Heng didn't open his eyes or move. Shen Lixue's anger subsided considerably, indicating that he was truly out of his mind and had done these things subconsciously.
Looking at the silver needle case on the bedside table, Shen Lixue slowly moved towards the bedside. Dongfang Heng was heavy and pressed down on her, so she had to exert a lot of effort to move even a little bit.
Three cups of tea? Half an incense stick? Shen Lixue didn't know how much time had passed before she finally moved to the bedside and quickly reached for her silver needle pouch. Unexpectedly, Dongfang Heng suddenly lowered his head, buried his face in her fragrant neck, and breathed softly.
Warm breath sprayed on her neck, a few strands of hair fell down and gently brushed her cheeks, tickling her. Shen Lixue frowned and forcefully pushed Dongfang Heng's head to one side.
Although Dongfang Heng was in a deep sleep, he was very stubborn. Shen Lixue pushed his head away, and he turned it back. She pushed it again, and he turned it back again. She kept pushing it, and he kept turning it back.
He's so stubborn. Shen Lixue shook her head helplessly, enduring the itch on her neck, and reached for the silver needle pouch. Suddenly, Dongfang Heng moved, resting his head on her arm, and the silver needle pouch fell to the ground instantly...
"Dongfang Heng, stop pretending and open your eyes!" Shen Lixue's beautiful eyes blazed with anger as she glared at Dongfang Heng. Once could be a coincidence, twice could also be a coincidence, but if there was a third time, then it was intentional. Dongfang Heng was definitely playing her on purpose!
Dongfang Heng didn't speak or move, but simply held Shen Lixue in his arms, his head resting on her arm as he slept soundly.
"Dongfang Heng!" Shen Lixue removed the hairpin from her hair with her free hand and slowly approached Dongfang Heng's pressure point, a furious smile playing on her lips: "If you don't open your eyes, this hairpin will pierce your pressure point!"
In a daze, Shen Lixue seemed to see Dongfang Heng's eyelashes tremble. When she blinked and looked closely, he was as still as if he were fast asleep.
Shen Lixue gritted her teeth, about to teach him a lesson by stabbing his pressure points, when a steady voice rang out from outside the door: "Your Highness, the medicine has arrived!"
"Bring it in quickly!" Shen Lixue hurriedly agreed. Whether she was truly unconscious or not, Dongfang Heng would know as soon as he drank the medicine.
"Yes!" Zi Mo carried the medicine, bowed his head, and walked into the inner room. A strong killing intent rushed towards him, and he dared not go forward again: "Miss Chen!"
"Give me the medicine!" Shen Lixue stretched out her hand from behind the curtain, her tone quite frustrated. The fact that an outsider had approached and that Dongfang Heng showed murderous intent suggested he had truly fallen ill and fainted. However, judging from what had just happened, he didn't seem like someone who was having an episode...
Zi Mo blinked hard and looked up. The inner room was empty, without a single person in sight. A carved bed stood in front of the window, its light-colored curtains semi-transparent, covering the entire bed. Standing in the center of the room, one could vaguely see someone on the bed, but could not make out the specific situation.
His eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. When his master fell ill, no one was allowed to come within fifty meters of him, otherwise they would be killed without mercy. He brought the medicine in and did not intend to leave alive. How could Miss Shen be able to sleep in the same bed with his master without any problems?
The murderous intent suddenly intensified, startling Zi Mo. He snapped back to his senses, steadily pushed the medicine bowl into Shen Lixue's hands, and quickly turned and walked out.
Shen Lixue picked up the medicine bowl, gazed intently at Dongfang Heng, and said calmly, "Drink your medicine."